Dynamic Digest: Week of 1/11

Dynamic Digest: Week of 1/11

Welcome to the Dynamic Digest, a weekly recap of the latest news happening in our industry. Want the pulse of what’s going on in enterprise software and analytics, performance management, cloud computing, data, and other like topics? We got you covered! This week in the world of technology, Audi i...

Welcome to the Dynamic Digest, a weekly recap of the latest news happening in our industry. Want the pulse of what’s going on in enterprise software and analytics, performance management, cloud computing, data, and other like topics? We got you covered!

This week in the world of technology, Audi introduced an electric car that connects to the cloud, CWA hacked another government intelligence official, Ford and IBM partnered for the connected car, and Google responded to AWS price cuts.

Syncing your smart devices to the cloud definitely has its benefits, but would you trust the cloud with your life? Audi recently released a video showcasing its vision for the connected car and the future of driving. The video features the company’s e-tron Quattro, an electric car that connects to the cloud and uses data derived from sensors to drive itself. Audi plans to use swarm intelligence to deliver real-time data from sensors located around the car, to ensure the car maneuvers safely in its environment. The idea is that vehicles will ultimately communicate to one another within a shared cloud via a common data platform.

Key takeaway: While the idea of a self-parking and piloted car sounds fantastic, don’t get too excited yet. The e-tron Quattro is still a concept, but Audi describes it as a “benchmark” for future vehicles and is continuing its research on autonomous cars. The concept, however, proves Audi’s strong vision, investment and strategy in tackling the all-electric car market.

It looks like “Crackas with Attitude” (CWA) has struck again, this time targeting the Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper. According to Motherboard, the teen hackers managed to hijack Clapper’s personal accounts, including his Internet, phone and email accounts (including his wife’s). The attack comes just months after the hackers compromised the email account of CIA Director John Brennan. While no confidential or work-related documents have been released, it wouldn’t be surprising for the group to release them at a later date – similar to the Brennan incident. However, a spokesperson announced that Clapper and the department are well aware of the breach and have reported it to the authorities.

Key takeaway: Is the hack simply a prank? CWA revealed that they forwarded every call to Clappers’ home to the Free Palestine Movement. While directing Clappers’ calls to the Free Palestine Movement seems fairly harmless, it doesn’t take away from the bigger issue – that (supposed teen) hackers are even able to access the personal accounts of U.S. government intelligence officials.

With CES 2016 wrapping up in Las Vegas last week, it looks like the cloud and connected cars were hot topics. During the conference, Ford made major announcements, including updates on its Smart Mobility initiative, an initiative designed to create advanced and autonomous vehicles while also solving the rising challenge of transportation. In conjunction with the initiative, Ford is partnering with IBM to develop a pilot platform (Smart Mobility Experimentation Platform) that analyzes vehicular data through the cloud using IBM’s cloud service. The platform will capture massive amounts of real-time data, break it down and identify patterns and trends within the data to help drivers with tasks like finding a spot in a parking lot or avoiding a traffic jam on your commute home. Together, the two companies hope that adding cloud and big data capabilities to Ford’s initiative, will make the overall driving experience better for everyone.

Key takeaway: The partnership proves that Ford wants to expand into mobility solutions, rather than being solely an automaker producer. With so many companies focused on the connected car, it will be interesting to see how IBM and Ford matchup.

A little friendly competition is healthy, right? Tech giants Amazon and Google are debating whose cloud services offer the most bang for your buck. With Amazon Cloud Services (AWS) announcing its 51st price cut last week in on-demand and reserved instance pricing, many thought Google would follow suit. It wasn’t long before Google shot back, arguing that despite the appeal around price cuts, Google remained the cheaper route stating that AWS pricing model oftentimes has hidden fees. Amazon has yet to respond directly, but have previously claimed that customers are drawn to their features and capabilities, not the price.

Key takeaway: Regardless of the current bidding war and Google’s growing cloud presence, one thing remains true – companies are fighting to dominate the cloud market space. Furthermore, it is important to consider that pricing doesn’t always mean better. Whether you’re a fan of AWS or Google’s cloud services, consider the features and capabilities before jumping at the low price tag.

We hope you enjoyed this week’s Dynamic Digest weekly roundup! Have a suggestion or preferred topic you would like to see next week? Tweet at us or leave a comment below!